by Carlos King
He scours the closet thoroughly. After minutes of rummaging, Drake comes across a subtle inconsistency. All of Jade’s shoes are neatly lined up against the closet’s wall on the floor, none of which are in boxes. In fact, there aren’t any shoeboxes in the closet at all, except for the black one sitting on the shelf. He pulls the box down and becomes infuriated when he discovers it’s filled with pictures of Jade and the same mystery man.
Glaring at each picture from first to last, Drake rage quickly rises. With his frustration reaching critical levels, Drake erupts, throwing the pictures and the shoebox across the closet. Fuming, he punches the closet wall, burying his fist wrist-deep in the plaster.
His anger dissipates as he removes his hand from the grapefruit-sized hole he’s created. He appears to be shocked by what he’s done. He peeps out the closet, checking on Jade to see if she overheard the commotion or not. Lucky for him, she hasn’t. He can still hear the water from the shower.
Regretting his mischievous deed, Drake picks up the pictures and places them back in the box. After setting the box back on the shelf, he discreetly covers the hole in the wall by sliding several items of clothes in front of it. He exits the closet and returns back to the living room, where he patiently remains until Jade returns.
Jade emerges from her bedroom about twenty minutes later, fully dressed and ready to go. When she walks into the living room she finds Drake sitting on the couch reading a magazine. She remains oblivious to his previous acts of snooping and prying.
“I’m sorry I took so long,” said Jade.
Drake peaks over the magazine and sees Jade standing in front of him wearing a beautiful black dress that showed off her curvaceous figure. Awe struck, Drake sets the magazine on the coffee table. “Don’t worry about it. You look beautiful, babe.”
Jade happily accepts the compliment. “I’m ready whenever you are.”
Jade and Drake vacate the apartment and journey down the stairs, making their way towards the parking lot to Drake’s awaiting Corvette. As they walk through the main corridor, Jade notices a group of men, also residents of the apartment complex, loitering near the front gate.
“Great!” Jade exhaled.
“What’s wrong?”
Jade directs Drake’s attention to the three men standing by the gate. “You see those guys up there?”
Drake trains his eyes on the three men. “Yeah, I see them. What about them?” he asked.
“I hate those guys. They’re so immature. All they do is hang around the complex all day looking for trouble.”
Drake is partially intrigued. “Is that so? So they’re like the residential bad-asses, huh?”
“I guess you could say that. If you ask me, I’d say there nothing but a bunch of punks. This complex is mostly filled with hardworking people and a few elders, so I guess they pride themselves on being the alpha-males around here, but I bet they wouldn’t pull that tough guy crap in a rougher neighborhood.”
“Well, let’s just find out, shall we?” Drake lets go of Jade’s hand and begins to daringly approach the three men.
Jade runs after him, pulling him back by his arm. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m gonna test your theory. I want to see if they’re truly bad-asses or just some wannabes.”
Aware of Drake’s wild nature, Jade urgently tries to change his mind, pulling him in the opposite direction. “It’s not worth finding out, Drake. Let’s just go out the other gate. Besides, it’s just not those three you’d have to worry about. There’s six of them that stay in that apartment.”
“Come on, babe. It’d be crazy to walk all the way around. I’m parked right there at the gate. Look, don’t worry about a thing, okay? I’m not gonna start anything. You have my word.” Drake takes Jade’s hand and escorts her to the front gate.
The closer Drake and Jade get to the gate’s entrance, the clearer the crude dialogue being held by the three men became. When one of the ill-mannered men spots the clean-cut couple heading their way he alerts his friends, which is what causes the rude and graphic remarks toward Jade and Drake to begin.
The men make a number of vulgar statements about Jade and even more degrading observations about Drake. Staying true to his word, Drake says nothing and ignores the loud-mouthed men. He walks alongside Jade as they finally make it to the main gate. He chivalrously holds the gate open, allowing Jade to walk out first. The second she’s on the other side, Drake slams the gate shut, sealing himself on the same side with the crass men.
When Jade hears the gate close she turns around and is stunned to see Drake still on the other side. “What’re you doing?!”
Drake gives her a carefree smile. “Everything’s gonna be okay. The car’s open, babe. I’ll only be a minute.”
Fearful for his safety, Jade pleads with Drake. “Drake, don’t do this, please! Let’s just leave!”
Drake turns his back to Jade and marches toward the hooligans.
During which time, Jade is restlessly yanking at the gate’s handle, but with no resolve. It momentarily slips Jade’s mind that the gate is designed to lock automatically from the inside. The only way to get back inside was with a key. The instant Jade remembers this key detail (no pun intended) she scours her purse for the tiny piece of metal.
CHAPTER 7
It doesn’t take long for the three men to spot Drake heading their way. They immediately revert back to their taunting ways.
“Did you forget something, pretty boy?” one of the men asked.
One of the men steps up to Drake and stares him down—a clear ploy of intimidation, but a tactic that has no effect on Drake. The only effect the man’s attempt at being a tough guy has is making Drake smile as he stares back into the man’s eyes.
“Yeah, he forgot something,” the man in front of Drake stated. “He forgot to bring that pretty little piece of ass back with him.” The man leaned in close to Drake. “Why don’t you go get that fine little tramp of yours so we can all have some fun with her.”
Drake maintains a calm demeanor. “Wait, I’m confused. I don’t see your mama anywhere around, so what piece of ass are you talking about?”
The three men surround Drake, his insult obviously striking a nerve with the hardened crew. The guy standing in front of Drake can’t believe the audacity of the rich-kid to be bold enough to insult him on his own turf. “Did you just say something my mama, pretty boy?”
Drake partakes in a light-hearted laugh. “Man, if you only knew the whole truth. Talking about your mama ain’t the only thing I did to her big ass.”
Out of nowhere, the man punches Drake square on the chin.
Jade witnesses the punch and is taken aback. “Drake!” she shouted, dumping the contents of her purse onto the sidewalk, frantically searching for her elusive keys. Normally, Jade’s keys would’ve been a lot easier to find without her having to resort to such extreme tactics, but the setting Sun is limiting her visibility.
Drake staggers from the hit, but doesn’t fall. The other two men watching the assault cheer their friend for delivering the cheap shot.
“There you go, Jake! Show that how we get down!”
The slugger showcases pride in his dastardly action by trash-talking Drake, adding salt to the wound. “How’s the jaw, pretty boy? Feel like flapping it now?”
Hunched over, Drake wipes a small amount of blood from the corner of his mouth. He looks at the blood and smirks, feeling an inkling of satisfaction. Drake stands erect and approaches his assaulter.
The man is puzzled by Drake’s cavalier attitude. With his confidence overflowing and his friends still backing him up, the cheap-shot artist continues to taunt Drake. “You better take that dumb smile off your face, pretty boy, before I knock it off.”
Drake laughs. “Don’t worry; I’m sure your mom will find away to make me smile again.” Drake looks past the cheap-shot artist and addresses his two friends. “Don’t feel left out guys. I’ve had both of your moms, too. They just aren’t w
orth talking about.”
Without warning, all three men gang up on Drake, pummeling him. It doesn’t take them long to get Drake down on the ground. Jade screams in fright as the men huddle around him. She finally finds the key to the gate and shoves it into the keyhole. She grabs her can of mace and cell phone and sprints to Drake’s aid. The men are brutally kicking and stomping away at Drake, showing no regard for any potentially serious injuries they may inflict. The vicious attack only stops when Jade threatens to blast the men with her mace.
“Leave him alone or I’ll call the police! I swear I will!” she threatened, holding her phone up in one hand, the mace aimed at the men with the other.
Jake, the cheap-shot artist, calls his friends off. “Come on, guys. Let’s get out of here. I think the pretty boy learned his lesson.” The two friends would like to keep the assault going, but the threat of the cops being called dissuades them. They hesitantly leave Drake’s battered body on the ground and head toward the main gate. Jake stays behind for little while longer to admire his handiwork. Jade keeps her eyes and the nozzle of the mace locked on him.
“You’re lucky your girl came when she did, pretty boy. Otherwise, things could’ve gotten real bad for you.” Jake is flabbergasted when Drake looks up at him and smiles, exposing his blood-stained teeth. It’s a look that implies Drake actually enjoyed the beating he just took. Jade notices the man giving Drake a suspicious look and proceeds to cautiously turn to Drake in order to see what the thug saw. Predicating Jade’s movement, Drake buries his head back into his crossed arms and continues to lie flat on his stomach. Jade never sees his contented expression. Baffled, Jake walks off, following after his two friends.
As soon as the coast is clear, Jade puts her mace away and helps Drake to his feet. Jade takes Drake’s arm and places it over her shoulders, utilizing all of her strength to pull him up.
As he gets up, Drake uses his free arm to cradle his aching ribcage. In addition to his rib damage, Drake also has a cut on his forehead, a black eye, busted lip and a badly bruised cheek.
Jade aids him in walking until they reach his car. She guides him to the hood and helps him sit down.
“Are you okay?” she asked worriedly.
Groggy, Drake responds, “Yeah, I think so. That was a rush.”
Realizing that Drake is going to be okay, Jade doesn’t wait to lay into him. “Are you out of your damn mind?! You could’ve been killed! What the hell were you thinking?!”
Drake delicately strokes the left-side of his face to get an idea of how bad the swelling under his eye is. “Damn…They got me pretty good,” feeling the forming lump under his eye.
“You’re lucky they didn’t kill you, jerk! I told you not to go back! You promised me you wouldn’t!”
“No, I promised I wouldn’t start anything, and as you clearly saw, I didn’t. So technically, I kept my word,” he comically answered.
Jade isn’t amused by his weird sense of humor. She’s actually quite livid about his out of control behavior. Exasperated with Drake, she leaves him sitting on the hood of his car and begins to pick up all the items she dumped out of her purse earlier, throwing each item back into her bag.
Drake slowly rises and limps over to Jade, still cradling his ribs. “Come on, Jade, I know you’re not mad.” Jade doesn’t respond. “It’s not a big deal. I’ll be fine. They didn’t do anything but give me a few lumps and bruises.”
Jade picks up the last of her belongings and chucks it in her purse. She gets back up to feet and faces Drake. “It could’ve been a lot worse, Drake. You’re always pulling crazy stunts like this. If it isn’t you playing chicken with someone or joining in on some other kind of pointless act, it’s you walking into a gang of hoods and insulting them. I can’t keep doing this with you. If you want to be a suicidal maniac then you go right ahead, but do me a favor and don’t involve me.” Jade takes out her keys and selects the one needed to open the gate.
“Where you going?” asked Drake, the pain he’s enduring evident in his voice. “I thought we were going out?”
Jade pulls the gate open and crosses to the other side. Standing in the gate’s door frame, she pauses briefly before glancing back at Drake. “I’m not in the mood anymore. I have a headache.”
Drake isn’t buying into Jade’s headache excuse and makes this known to her. He exhales and faintly shakes his head, believing Jade is overreacting. “I can’t believe you’re acting like this. I’m the one who should be pissed. I’m the one with the black eye here. If I’m not letting what happened bother me, then why the hell are you letting it get to you?”
Jade refuses to answer Drake’s question. She rolls her eyes and walks back inside the complex, slamming the gate shut behind her. Drake stares at her as she’s walks away. Within seconds, she’s fades completely out of sight.
Drake gets inside of his freshly-waxed Corvette and starts the engine. He puts the car in gear exits the complex’s parking lot, speeding out onto the street. As Drake’s car races up the street, the same hooded stranger that was outside of Jade’s school approaches the complex from the opposite direction. He subtly emerges from the shadows and makes his way onto the complex grounds.
CHAPTER 8
Jade is lying under the covers of her full-sized bed, fast asleep. Hours have gone by since she cancelled her date with Drake. A severe thunderstorm is in progress, providing Jade with the perfect acoustics for a pleasant night’s sleep. The sounds of falling raindrops in addition with the sporadic booms of thunder help to soothe the stress of Jade’s day away by granting her the peace and tranquility she hasn’t experienced in a very long time.
Unfortunately, this tranquility is brought to a prompt end when Jade’s cell phone begins to ring. The noisy ringtone and the simultaneous vibration of the phone join together in startling her out of a much-needed deep sleep. When Jade becomes aware of her ringing phone she plops her head back into her pillow and shuts her eyes. She blindly extends her arm out to the nightstand and grabs a hold of her. Jade doesn’t even bother to look at the caller ID before answering it.
“Hello,” she whispered.
A voice on the other end of the line replies, “Jade, it’s me, Shana. I need a big favor.”
Recognizing the voice, Jade partially opens her sleepy eyes and rolls over on her back. “Hey, Shana, what’s up? What’s wrong?”
“My car broke down a couple of blocks away from the mall. I’m not sure what the name of this street is, but it’s that long stretch of road with trees on both sides. The one I normally take home as a shortcut. You know which one I’m talking about?”
Jade sits up and turns on the lamp. “The one we took that time you asked me to take you home?”
“Yeah, that’s the one,” the voice readily answered.
Jade glances over at her alarm clock for the time. “Shana, it’s past midnight. What were you still doing out there this late? The shop closed hours ago. It couldn’t have been that much merchandise left over.”
“No, it wasn’t anything like that. I was at home about to go to sleep when I remembered I didn’t activate the alarm. Normally I wouldn’t have cared, but Mr. Sloan opens tomorrow and you how quick he is to try and fire somebody. So I got up and went back up there to set it. I know it’s late, but I don’t have anybody else I can call, Jade. Can you please come get me?”
Jade sighs. She definitely isn’t dying to drive out in this storm, but she knows her friend needs her help. After a short hesitation, she tells Shana, “Sure, girl. No problem. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes.”
“Thank you so much, Jade,” Shana appreciatively told her. “You’re a life saver. I owe you big time.”
Jade gazes out the window and takes notice to the bright flashes of lightning and the heavy rainfall. “You sure do. See you in a little while.” Jade puts her phone down and reluctantly gets out of bed. She grabs the easiest clothes to put on and snatches up the only jacket she owns that has a hood.
She leaves her apar
tment and walks through narrow corridors, keeping a steady hold on the drawstrings to her hood until she’s out of the rain and sitting in her car. Jade starts the engine, turns on the headlights, flicks the windshield wipers on, and shifts into drive. As she rounds the corners of the parking lot, her headlamps briefly shine on the hooded stranger just as she drives out of the complex. Although she caught a quick glimpse of the mysterious individual, she never gives him a second thought.
The harsh weather is making it hard for Jade to see clearly, leaving her with no other alternative but to drive much slower than normal. This minor setback means the relatively short trip will take a lot longer than she originally anticipated. But be that as it may, Jade sticks to her word and proceeds through the stormy conditions to help out her pal.
Following miles of driving, Jade ultimately arrives at the long stint of road Shana described. Jade begins the search for Shana’s car. The mixture of high winds and heavy rain is reduced visibility to mere feet. Jade digs into her jacket pocket and pulls out her cell phone. She’s just about to call Shana when she spots a vehicle’s hazard lights off to the side of the road, no more than a block or so away.
Jade puts her phone back in her pocket and pulls up behind the parked vehicle, leaving only a tiny space between the two. She honks to get Shana’s attention but nothing happens. Jade spots movement inside the car, but with the rain still pouring and the desolate road being so dark, she can’t make anything out for sure. Jade pulls her phone out again and highlights Shana’s name. Jade is just about to place the call when the driver’s door to the parked vehicle suddenly opens. Jade pulls her hood over her head and exits her car.
“Shana, it’s me!” Jade shouted over the pounding rain. “What happened? You have a blowout or something?!” Jade doesn’t receive an answer. She continues to near the parked car.
